Thursday, February 16, 2006

Every family has it’s own little language. You know, a child mispronounces a word and eventually the mispronunciation actually becomes the way everyone says that particular word. Or maybe there is a phrase or a history behind a phrase that only people in the family know what it actually means.

I sometimes find myself using these phrases or words in normal conversation with people that are not in my family. People that I barley know. Sometimes I catch myself before actually using the “family” specific lingo, other times I do not, and I get a weird look, and then I find myself explaining why I said what I said.

Here is some of my family’s (or maybe it is just me) vocabulary.

Sa-dert.= A yummy treat after dinner.

K-MartS= A store. I don’t know where the “S” came from. I do not use this one but it is used in my family.

Terlet = Toilet

Bed Clothes = Sheets, linens, Blankets. I remember the first time I used the term “bed clothes” to Lauren, she looked at me like I had three heads.

Eck-specially= Especially. I always pronounce this with the ECK sound at the begining. I know there is no “C” in between the "E" and the "S". I know it is not pronounced that way but for some reason that is how I say it. Lauren always make fun of me for this.

BleeBing = Bleeding.

Now the next two are things that I cannot help myself but say whenever the either myself or someone else says one of the words.

If someone says “Sweet Potato”, I always have to say “Sweet potato, Sweet potato.” I do not know where this came from or why I say it or why I even say “Sweet potato” twice. “sweet potato, sweet potato.” See I even have to type it twice.

The other phrase is from the movie “Revenge of the Nerds”. Anytime someone says the word “PIE” The word that come out of my mouth on reflex is “Sank-you.” You have to see the movie to know what I am talking about.

43 comments:

Anonymous
said...

Cha-Mote- The remote control

Zuitcase - suitcase

I have totally used these in public and people have given me the look. I have stopped explaining. As far as the continuation goes, when one of my kids ask for more of something, I immediately put on the worst British accent and say "Please Sir may I have some more" from Oliver. I can't explain why but it happens every time.

Terlet and Bed Clothes are part of our lingidy. And so are...The Jewels = Jewel (grocery store said wrong by my dad) Congo = Kevin (said by one of the nephews)Lolly = Dolly (mom called me dolly and I said, "Me no lolly me Lois." I guess I have some Indian in me.)Sodo = Soda Eninnens = M&Ms (my daughter)Holy moses there are so many. I don't know why they stick but we have lots too. Lois Lane

Instead of remote control, I say "clicker". Is that a Pennsylvania thing? Because people here in Texas are like "WTF is a clicker?"

"Wal-Marts" and "Kmarts" and "Targets" was totally the thing to say back home in PA. There was this store called Ames and people would even say Ameses. It is unneccessary to give possession to the store. But people do it.

In my house, the big term to use is "GEEZ LOUISE!" The 4 year old even uses it! Or "For cryin' out loud!"

I have heard people use "expecially" - very common mispronunciation.

Like anonymous, my family has a habit of speaking in British accents. A lot. We are weird.

We call Ketchup 'dip' because my daughter spent the first two years of her life dipping small pieces of hotdog into it. she is just about four and we all still call it 'Dip'. my in-laws dog is named 'Molly' and my daughter called her 'Mongy' for about a week. We still call her mongy and my daughter thinks we are all nuts.

I think Susie may be on to something with the "hot potato" song because when I read your post, I read "sweet potato, sweet potato" in a sing-song way--just like the song.

There is a town near Austin named Pflugerville, but the P is silent. We pronounce the P though. P-flugerville. And any word that starts with an f, we put a P in front of it. Example: p-fuck, p-fun, p-family.

sumunabitch = son of a bitch (my grandmother had an accent and always said it that way and so do we)

Re-he-he-ally = really (from a movie, my bf and i do it all the time now)

sto'ore = store (my bf and i are nerds and used to watch Babylon 5 and there was some ad on about a store...)

annarisms - aneurisym (i dont know how to spell it, but my sister anna likes to go off the deep end and flip out every now and then, so when she does, its an "annarism". She doesnt like this phrase so much.)

Umm, let's see. We don't flush the toilet, we "plush" it. Thank you 2 year old son! There is no such thing as a cut, or a sore, or a boo boo or owie. If you hurt yourself, it's a "bleedin". And a freckle. Who has freckles? In our house they're "miracles".

There's an old episode of Just Shoot Me that has left a really annoying phrase in our home. Anytime someone says anything about pot pies we have to say, "Chicken pot, chicken pot, chicken pot piiiiiiieeeee!"

I've also watched WAY too much of Friends. Yesterday I was at my visit for the antidepressent study I'm in. I have to see several people during each visit. When my next "stop," Julie came through the door I screeched, "Julie!" By the look on their faces I knew it was inappropriate to follow up with "Isn't that just kick-ya-in-the-crotch-spit-in-your-face-terrific?"